[For those of you who arrived post-comic era, you can read all about my meeting my love …and his two dodgy predecessors. The art is pretty bad in the beginner.]

So. The Avengers.

We waited, all old-person-like, for a month before we went, because we hate a packed theatre – especially on new release weekend. Boo.

It didn’t matter… it was STILL PACKED.

[but we got good seats – “the middle of the middle”, because I have a big yap and don’t mind yelling across the theatre “Are those seats taken?!!” and then we shuffled our way to the middle seats, stepping on toes and trying to keep asses out of faces. “‘Scuse me, pardon me, ‘scuse me, thank you, sorry, ‘scuse me, pardon me, thanks, thank you, thanks, oh – sorry, sorry, thank you, ‘scuse me….”]

Oh yes, it was SO worth it. That’s not sarcasm. Those seats were totally worth it.

…anyways. The Avengers.

Out for a month and it’s STILL a packed theatre and busted all kinds of box office records. At least 3 of my staff have already seen it in the theatre, twice, and a couple more are planning on going to see it again.
I LOVED it… lurv, lurv, lurvy-lurved it. All of it. Everything. LURV.

BUT. I couldn’t stop thinking of you all while I was watching it.

Seriously… I’m watching The Avengers, and looking around the still packed after a month theater and I get it. I get it…because the thing is;

Especially in times of change and uncertainty, we look to heroes to show us the way.

And people – the times, they are a-changing.
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The internet and technology have been pulling down and shaking up and changing the distribution and publishing models in unprecedented ways and in timelines far shorter than anyone could have imagined.

It doesn’t have to be complicated. We like to fancy things up and get it complicated, but it’s really very simple. You’re reading this because it’s exactly what you need to read to start creating and sharing the art you were put here to make.

I know that you have these little murmurings inside. I know they speak to you at quiet moments and they fill you up with light when you hear them.

I know that in hopeful moments you daydream and think what if… what if… what if it all came true…

I know that you at least kind of know what you’re supposed to be doing. I know it. I know you do – or you wouldn’t have opened this email.

If you weren’t ready, you wouldn’t be reading this. Right now.

You’re ready. You can do this. You will do this. You came with this hard-wired in you. These expansive thoughts, these beautiful dreams – you came to share them.

Not doing it won’t make it go away. It’ll just make you sad. And it will just make the rest of us miss out.

We need our heroes.

We need our artists to give us hope and show us the way.
Right now, we need you to have the heroes courage –

…to just begin. Just walk your path. Just do what you came here to do.

That’s all. Just start sharing your art. It doesn’t have to be perfect.

It doesn’t have to touch millions …but it will reach exactly the right people who need to hear your message at exactly the right time.
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Being a hero isn’t super powers, or techno wizardry, or demi-god strength.

It’s being true to your authentic voice, even when you’re scared no one will get it.

It’s having the courage to act, even though you’re not sure what will happen.

It’s walking a path and creating a life that is foggy and unclear because it holds the potential for the greatest amount of meaning and fulfillment you could have in life.

It’s the desire to share that meaning and fulfillment with others.

That is the hero’s path.

You are this kind of hero. You have always been this kind of hero. Only now, you know it’s true.

This happens ALL the TIME… No, that’s not true. It happens in CYCLES. I just had a huge influx of sign-ups to my list. “Hello there beautiful people…” I made a POINT of having my first mailer to the new folks have a swear in the title. This was ON PURPOSE. […]

I almost didn’t write this post. …I was scared. Then Seth Godin’s daily blog post arrived in my email box and it was like it was written for me. Leave it to Seth Godin to make it feel like he’s giving me a kick in the ass. Shit or get off the pot. If I’m […]